Successful self-employed, a group to consider

Successful self-employed, a group to consider / Juan Juan Almeida
Posted on February 11, 2015

Juan Juan Almeida, 10 February 2015 — Observing coldly and setting aside
all partisanship is the best way to understand that the decision taken
by the American president to reestablish relations with Cuba is entirely
welcome news for a Cuban sector that, after suffering the wrath of what
appeared to be an infinite confrontation, trusts in a step that, without
a doubt, will have a positive impact on its current way of life.

Clearly the United States, in addition to executing a masterful
geopolitical move — because with this approach it isolates Russia and
China from Latin America using as leverage the indisputable influence of
Cuba in the region — also aims to turn the island into a kind of stable
neighbor capable of guaranteeing control over its illegal emigration and
constraining the nest of terrorist and international crime groups in our
island. We accept without naivety that this latter will only be achieved
by working together with the Cuban military and/or government,
dictatorial or not.

Do I like it? Of course not, I know all the high level Cuban leaders, I
know that they are structured to crush without remorse everyone who goes
against them; they are criminals and they are dictators. But our
opposition has nothing to offer because, in addition to fighting for
power using the ideal recipe to fall into disaster, they seem not to
understand that the solutions to social problems are found in real
politics and not in international marketing. Neither the victimhood
silliness nor the wise man arrogance have any appeal. Therefore, their
actions lack a mobilizing effect.

None of our opponents, for example (using the off-repeated campaign of
General Raul Castro against corruption), has talked about pushing a “law
of transparency” project, in which every member of the government and
the Cuban State is obliged to create direct on-line access so that
everyone, at any time, can have a look to know how much they earn, how
much they have and what they are spending the national budget on.

Nevertheless, we must support them and it seems significant that the
debate about Cuba came to Washington in the form of invited guests from
the Cuban opposition. From my point of view, this invitation signifies a
real push and a protective umbrella for these brave voices who, from
within Cuba, leave their lives in the streets. But if what the
government of the United States wants is “To understand the impacts of
the political changes on Human Rights and Democracy in Cuba,” then, in
addition to dissidents and opponents, it must also invite some of those
people who, although we have not applied to them the deserved title of
leaders, are the true vanguard, who inspire and represent the dreams of
Cuban youth and our civil society.

I am referring, obviously, to those new and successful Cuban
entrepreneurs (I detest the word “self-employed”) who are emerging
within the Island, channeling the social disconnect, and creating an
attractive zone of visual comfort to the still reduced but growing
sector that dreams of emigrating there. Not listening to that social
group that is ever more powerful, more influential and that applauds the
rapprochement between Cuba and the United States because they want to
benefit from it, is like wishing the black clouds of today will continue
to form a part of the eternally impoverished national landscape.